This proposed research project aims to determine the nature, use and impact of remittances sent to households in Pakistan by their relatives working in Saudi Arabia. Data will be generated primarily through face-to-face household surveys with 500 families in different regions of Pakistan. Focus groups, key informant interviews and review of secondary literature/data will complement the data-gathering process. Results will be published in a final report and presented at a conference dedicated to the subject in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This work is part of a proposed larger initiative to gather remittance information from six South and Southeast Asian temporary contractual worker groups in Saudi Arabia, whereby several hundred Pakistani workers will be interviewed, along with other large populations of temporary contractual workers.
The data gathered will provide important information to Pakistani government ministries, policy makers, researchers, and other interested parties in Pakistan, in order to: (1) better understand the impact that remittances sent by Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia are having on origin households; (2) support new legislation and/or investment–orientated initiatives which can enhance the development impact of these remittances on local, regional and national development in Pakistan; (3) improve remittance services for Pakistani temporary contractual workers in Saudi Arabia.